This is why people are terrified of coming face to face with their doppelganger

Throughout history people have feared coming face to face with their doppelganger - not only did they worry that their malicious twin wanted to steal their lives or cause trouble for them, they worried that it meant that they were about to die

By Emma Gritt

31st October 2017, 1:18 pm

Updated: 31st October 2017, 6:59 pm

COMING face to face with your doppelganger is one of the worst omens of all - it means your death is just around the corner.

For centuries, folklore and ghost stories told of people being confronted with mysterious apparitions of themselves - and their loved ones.

However, some people wouldn't get the chance to talk to their eerie twin, instead just catching a glimpse of them standing on an empty road, catching them in the corner of your eye or suddenly catching sight of them standing behind you in a mirror.

One famous example of someone who met their doppelganger in this way was American president Abraham Lincoln.

He claimed to have seen his double in 1860, shortly after he was elected for the first time.

Author Noah Brooks wrote in his 1895 book Washington in Lincoln's time he saw two reflections in the mirror.

Abraham Lincoln met saw his doppelganger - and his wife was convinced that it meant he would soon die

He said the second was "...nearly at full length; but my face had two separate and distinct images" and one "was a little paler — say five shades — than the other."

Needless to say he added that his wife was certain that the paleness of the other image was a bad omen, and that he would serve his first full term but not live to finish the second - a prediction that came true.

Another famous person from history with a terrifying doppelganger was German writer Johann Wolfgang van Goethe, who claimed that he saw his double riding past him on a horse as he left a female friend's house.

He noted he was wearing different clothes to him but found the sight of him rather soothing.

People also feared that babies could be swapped for demonic versions my malicious fairies and trolls

Eight years later he claimed he was riding down the same footpath to again visit his friend, and realised he was wearing the identical outfit his mysterious twin had sported almost a decade before.

Catherine The Great, who was Empress of Russia between 1762 and 1796 claimed to have one night seen her own ghostly doppelganger sitting on her throne.

She was lying in bed when her servants told her that they had seen 'her' enter the throne room, so she stormed in there and ordered her guards to shoot at the spectre.

It's not known if the ghost survived the shower of bullets... but Catherine died soon after.

However, it's not only adults who have to deal with doppelgangers, with plenty of scary stories about changelings - sickly fairy babies replaced with healthy human ones - terrifying communities for centuries.

German writer Johann Wolfgang van Goethe once saw his double riding a horse on the same road as him

Some extreme versions of changeling legends claimed that elderly fairies would be swapped for infants so they could enjoy and easy life, and others believed that trolls would snatch unbaptised babies and replace with their own kind so that they enjoyed a human education.

More recently, this mum wondered if she had bumped in to the OAP version of her toddler after they met THIS man at the shops.

And people have wondered if these pictures prove that some celebrities - including Matt Damon and Nic Cage - are able to time travel.

Girl comes face-to-face with her mannequin doppelganger in Essex M&amp;S

More spooky stories

Exclusive

Gabi hammer

Inter's Barbosa offered to West Ham as Pellegrini weighs up attacking options

golden nugget

Gabigol beats Thomas Vermaelen to win award as worst Serie A player for 2017